Civil Society Participation Index in Germany

Germany: Civil Society Participation Index was 0.979 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.979
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
1st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.98
in 1998
All-time low
0.04
in 1934
Years of data
191
1789–2025

Civil Society Participation Index in Germany, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Germany recorded 0.979 for civil society participation index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, civil society participation index in Germany peaked at 0.98 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.04, in 1934.

Germany ranks 1st of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.172 0.172 0.172 1
1790s 0.172 0.172 0.172 10
1800s 0.172 0.172 0.172 10
1810s 0.172 0.172 0.172 10
1820s 0.172 0.172 0.172 10
1830s 0.172 0.172 0.172 10
1840s 0.2184 0.172 0.404 10
1850s 0.404 0.404 0.404 10
1860s 0.404 0.404 0.404 10
1870s 0.4766 0.365 0.489 10
1880s 0.489 0.489 0.489 10
1890s 0.5965 0.59 0.655 10
1900s 0.6091 0.59 0.626 10
1910s 0.6344 0.58 0.838 10
1920s 0.8322 0.773 0.847 10
1930s 0.273 0.04 0.773 10
1940s 0.04 0.04 0.04 5
1990s 0.9769 0.976 0.98 9
2000s 0.98 0.98 0.98 10
2010s 0.98 0.98 0.98 10
2020s 0.9797 0.979 0.98 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 2 Norway 0.973 compare
  2. 3 Denmark 0.971 compare
  3. 3 Switzerland 0.971 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is civil society participation index in Germany?
Civil society participation index in Germany was 0.979 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest civil society participation index recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 0.98 in 1998.
What is the lowest civil society participation index recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 0.04 in 1934.
How does Germany rank for civil society participation index?
Germany ranks 1st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is civil society participation index rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Society Participation Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 191 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Civil Society Participation Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,063 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which major civil society organizations are routinely consulted by policymakers, how many people are involved in them, women can participate, and candidate nomination for the legislature within parties is decentralized or made through primaries.